Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith's door And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime: Then looking in, I saw upon the floor Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.
"How many anvils have you had," said I, "To wear and batter all these hammers so?" "Just one," said he, and then, with twinkling eye, "The anvil wears the hammers out, you know."
And so, thought I, the anvil of God's word, For ages skeptic blows have beat upon; Yet though the noise of falling blows was heard, The anvil is unharmed . . . the hammer's gone.
"Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon His Name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Tell of all His wondrous works! Glory in His Holy Name; Let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He uttered."
This morning I was encouraged from this Psalm to.....
~~give thanks ~~call upon Him ~~tell what He has done ~~sing to and of Him ~~tell what He is doing ~~glory in His Holy Name ~~rejoice ~~seek Him & His strength ~~seek His presence (abide w/Him) ~~remember all He has done
James 5:16 says, "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective"; and in 1 Peter 3:12 it says, "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer."
Often I think of an acronym I learned when I was a child. Its the word ACTS.
A - adoration C - confession T - thanksgiving S - supplication (asking)
Have you prayed for our nation yet today?
FOR: Our churches Our Nation Mr. Obama Supreme Court Justices Military people everywhere
And this song warmed my heart this morning. "All because we do not carry, EVERYTHING to God in prayer.!"
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into His presence with singing!
Know that the LORD, He is God.
It is He who made us, and we are His;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
(from the ESV)
What a privilege it is to 'serve' our very maker! When we use our God given gifts to build up, exhort and encourage others, we are ultimately serving Him. And how precious the thought that He puts within us the very desire to serve Him by serving others. (Such thoughts are too wonderful for me to comprehend!)
Some thoughts about serving from Spurgeon.........a man of old.
"I think I know of no delight on earth that is higher than that of knowing that you really are, with all your heart, adoringly serving God. As long as there is breath in our bodies, let us serve Christ. As long as we can think, as long as we can speak, as long as we can work, let us serve Him. Let us even serve Him with our last gasp. And, if it be possible, let us try to set some work going that will glorify Him when we are dead and gone. Let us scatter some seed that may spring up when we are sleeping beneath the hillock* in the cemetery."
Tom Carter, Spurgeon at His Best (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1991), p. 189.
*A 'hillock' is a small hill. ; )
So.....who are the people in your world that you have the privilege of serving today?
